OK, because the movies are made to promote the recent bionicle products
before them. This one had an excuse to put the Toa at the center of things.
There's a lot more action in this one but disappointingly. None of the characters use their elemental powers because the story focuses on the masks.
It's still a bit cheesy, but at least this one as some decent humour. If this is the first bionicle movie you've seen, and you're not fan, it'll look stupid. If you are a bionicle fan and understand how little time the movie makers are given to make these. You'll take it a lot more lightly, despite the cheesy dialogue, and the "Sit down Whenua scene".
Then, if you're Maori. You'll either hate the fact that Bionicle uses Maori
language. Or you'll laugh, because the words are used differently. (There was a cyber terrorist attack on Bionicle's biggest fan site "BZPower" by two angry Maori representatives, who as it turned out, weren't even legal representatives.)
It's also constructed better. but I'm hoping to see a better quality of direct to video releases from the Bionicle team. there are going to be more sequels. If you think outside the box, the Bionicle movies are just one big promotion, like the ad ons they sometimes give the sets (US only).
So, a warning if you're going to watch it. You (a) have to excuse the
cheesieness. (b) be warned that the story is going to be fast paced (they had a heck of a lot of stuff to pack in) and (c) Take time to understand the storyline. It is complex and designed for Bionicle fans. So, a big note would be that they have to save the "Heart of Metru nui" only they don't know what that is, so when they find out that the matoran (people of the city) are in danger, they quickly assume that the matoran are the heart. But ther's a twist there.
So to sum it up. You don't need to have watched the first one to get this. They are set in two different story lines, quite distant form each other. Plus, it's a prequel, so there shouldn't be much trouble.
Out of ten, as a bionicle fan, I'd give it 7 (one mark lost for cheesieness. One mark lost for fast pacing. And one mark lost for getting some of the timeline wrong, but's a fan thing so don't worry about it.)
Prett good movie
